Portions For Foxes, Flat Four Records, Tyne and Queer and Future Collaborations present:
MARRAPALOOZA 3: A Thing In The North - AUGUST 9TH
WHAT IS IT?
Marrapalooza is a festival of grassroots and DIY music occurring over 2 days in Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley. The festival is in its third year in 2025 and is more ambitious than ever. Featuring more than 35 performers taken from every part of the UK, a spread of label artists and unsigned talent, curated by four of the leading lights in our local grassroots music scene.
We are really proud of the bill this year and its huge spread of artists (with more to come!). Every year our festival-goers find bands that they love that they didn’t know before, but here’s some highlights from Marrapalooza 2025:
WHO IS PLAYING?
BRAD STANK
Liverpool crooner Brad Stank opens our festival warm up night at Lubber Fiend on Friday 8th. His self-described ‘sexistential’ pop an ‘Unbelievably Catchy’ (Clash 8/10) Marvin-Gaye esque blend of old soul, lounge jazz and R’n’B the perfect opener for our biggest weekend yet.
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SHE DREW THE GUN
Wirral-based agitpop star She Drew The Gun is (“a masterpiece of psychedelic pop discovery” **** The Skinny) tops a bill that spans pop , punk, metal, folk, psych, grime and more. Spanning three albums, Louise Roach’s rebel-pop project has become a generational voice of ‘razor sharp lyricism’ (The Clash 8/10) righteous anger and genre agnostic musical mastery.
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HAYDEN THORPE
Cumbrian (and Ex Wild Beasts frontman) Hayden Thorpe follows five critically acclaimed albums on Domino Records with a majestic solo project currently three albums deep: the latest ‘Ness’ i ‘one of a kind auditory experience’ (Mojo 9/10) inspired by a nuclear testing site.
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THE SAFEST PLACE
In Marrapalooza tradition, we make sure to have a place for our most exciting local bands. The Safest Place the North Shields alt / psych project from ex-Catfish And The Bottlemen Johnny Bond and Louis Adams are one of the North East’s most incredible new bands and a must-see.
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BROWN HORSE:
Norwich’s Brown Horse bring Felice Brothers / The Band esque country rock through a British millennial filter, finding a sound that brings together old-school jigs’ reminiscent of ‘a Celtic reel caught between a Virginia hillside and a Norfolk taproom’ (Uncut 9/10)
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NATIVE JAMES:
Ipswich’s Native James a grime / metal crossover that takes some influences from the American nu-metal but gives them a quintessentially British underground, a mash-up of Korn and Kano that’s irresistible mosh bait.
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UNIVERSITY:
Crewe’s University - described by NME as ‘an explosion of energy unlike anything you’ve ever heard’ have a kind of insanely adrenalised take on Fugazi-esque post hardcore and old school emo that could bring a smile to even the most jaded punk.
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The festival brings together a huge range of performers and genres: whether you’re into punk, metal, hardcore, indie pop, jazz or traditional folk ballads, we are certain you’ll see something that blows you away this year.
CURATORS:
This year’s Marrapalooza is curated again by Portions For Foxes, Flat Four Records, Tyne and Queer.
For 2025 we’re also proud to partner with Future Collaborations Festival who specialise in creating platforms for disabled artists and performers - we want to make a festival that’s as inclusive and community minded as possible and we’ll do our best to keep this going so long as we can.
Friday 8th August
@ The Lubber Fiend
Brad Stank
+ TBA
7.30pm
Saturday 9th August,
@ The Grove, Cumberland Arms, Tyne Bar, Two By Two Brewery, Little Buildings and Old Coal Yard from 12.30pm
She Drew The Gun, The Safest Place, Venus Grrrls, Ruth Lyon, Gans, Hayden Thorpe, Native James, Chris Brain, Brown Horse, Mumble Tide, University, Withered Hand, Knives, Cruush, The Dogs, All Girls Arson Club, Jeanie And The White Boys, Mouses, Fast Blood, Wild Spelks, Look Terrified, Akam, Melanie Baker, Peevie + Many More TBA
Visit www.marrapalooza.co.uk for details